Dynamic duo. ‘Sigwa’ producers Pelita Uy and Carmela Honrado.

“Sigwa,” Joel Lamangan’s latest indie movie which was 2010 Cinemalaya’s box-office hit,and which earned for Tirso Cruz III the Best Supporting Actor Award, has received invitation from various international filmfests, among them the Brussels International Film Festival and the Montreal International Film Festival. This of course delighted the executive producers, Pelita and Stanley Uy, and associate producers Carmela and Eric Honrado.

“The invitations gave us a feeling of fulfillment and pride. It is a manifestation that we’ve done a meaningful, if not significant work,” Pelita said.

“Sigwa,” produced by Beginnings at Twenty Plus, Inc. (the Uy’s production outfit) and Star Express (the Honrado’s company) was written by Palanca multi-awarded writer-director Bonifacio Ilagan, who like Lamangan is no stranger to human rights violations as he was arrested, tortured, and detained in 1974 until 1976, and again suffered the same torment in 1994. “Sigwa” is a tribute to the First Quarter Storm of 1970,” that brief but defining moment of my generation,” Boni said.

Starring Dawn Zulueta, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Tirso Cruz III, Gina Alajar, Jaime Pebanco, Marvin Agustin, Allen Dizon, Pauleen Luna, Lovi Poe, Megan Young, Jay Aguitania, Rico Barrerra, Ayen Laurel and Dessa Ilangan, “Sigwa” will be screened at the AFP Theater on Aug. 20, as a fundraising project of Rotary Club of Paseo Makati.

On Aug. 28, “Sigwa” will have a “Producers’ Premiere” at Robinsons Galleria Cinema 5, also at 7 p.m. On Sept. 11, another screening at this venue will be sponsored by the United Fire Volunteers Association.

Also in September, Bayan Ko will hold a series of screenings at the refurbished Metropolitan Theater, and in some key cities nationwide. There will also be a school tour for the movie, organized by Gina Sybico, the producer of the longest running musical play “Joseph the Dreamer.” There will also be “Sigwa” screenings in the US and Dubai, arranged by Rosana Golez and Joel Garbuce, according to Pelita.

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A rejoinder from Cascades’ Crew

Cascades’ guitarist and producer Chuck Crew e-mailed Manila Bulletin another rejoinder (correction actually) to what Renen de Guia of Ovations Productions has claimed about the Cascades, and in consideration we are printing part of it as we put to rest this issue. Crew said “both John Claude Gummoe and I have always been appreciative of the kindness and support shown our group by the Manila Bulletin, and we take no issue with the Bulletin. We understand that the Bulletin supports the current short run of concerts put on by Mr. de Guia.... who is so far off base with his latest claims, which you have published, I once again feel the need to respond, and I ask for your patience.

“Some of the timeline that De Guia presents to your readers is accurate, while some of it is not. The problem is, he is not acquainted with the facts, and only presents what others have told him...

“The bottom line is that neither of these two disgruntled former employees of the Cascades, whom Mr. De Guia has paraded before our Filipino fans, had anything to do with any of the Cascades songs for which they are now taking credit. They didn’t sing on them, they didn’t play on them, they had absolutely nothing to do with these classic recordings. It’s just that simple....

“It doesn’t matter when Gabe Lapano joined the group, or when he left. He’s up there singing songs before a paid audience that he had absolutely nothing to do with. The same holds true for Tony Grasso. I’ll be the first, and apparently the only one, to admit that I had nothing to do with these wonderful recordings dating from 1962. De Guia claims that I was not a Cascade until 2005, which is inaccurate as usual, as I first joined in 1994.”

Crew also claimed that De Guia’s statement “The group that the world knew as the performing Cascades (Gabe Lapano, Tony Grasso, Ed Snyder, Dave Wilson) did not include John Gummoe. John had no official performing affiliation with the group until 2005” is not correct.

“Mr. De Guia hasn’t a clue what ‘the world knew’ about the performing Cascades or anybody else involved in this issue. John Claude Gummoe wrote and sang the Cascades landmark hit, ‘Rhythm Of The Rain,’ known word-for-word in many languages the world over. And then he followed that up with 11 more hits that continue to live in the hearts of Filipinos... ‘Shy Girl,’ ‘The Last Leaf,’ ‘Lucky Guy’... Filipinos can rattle these titles off faster than I can think of them, and sing them verbatim before I can even find my lyric sheets.

“The bottom line is this: Renen de Guia approached John Claude Gummoe to be an opening act for the Lettermen, and John turned him down, simply stating that the Cascades were not an opening act....and thereafter De Guia went and found Gabe and Tony whom we’d let go several years ago. These two jumped at his offer...”

Crew knows that all this is water under the bridge as the Lettermen/Cascades show has been staged – quite successfully! – but he just wanted to correct De Guia’s erroneous claims. End of the story.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings on Aug. 4 go to Baby Stradran, Oscar Reyes, Gus Villanueva, Lilia de Lima, Emily R. Lopez, Luki Azarcon, Lyndon Moses S. Gatdula, Tet Defensor, Minda Imperial, Ruben O. Fruto, Irene Diaz-Banag of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Fraces Dianne D., Anna Katrina H. Cruz, Venus Maregmen, Melton Alingod of Malacañang and Scarlett Parlan, daughter of Mark M. Parlan… Happy wedding anniversary to Rudy and Betty Valdez.